Director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said politicians must stop the culture of weaponising insecurity to make it look like their opponents cannot govern.
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala stated this in her keynote address titled ‘A Social Contract for Nigeria’s Future’ at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Sunday in Lagos.
“We cannot have socio-economic development without security. We certainly cannot have security without development,” the WTO chief said.
“We all know that security has been weaponised in our country for political purposes by political actors, leading partly to the situation we have now.
“We have politicians who believe that the best way to make their opponents look bad is to instigate insecurity making it look like they can’t govern, regardless of whether this leads to loss of lives and property of innocent Nigerians. This has to stop.”
She also called on Nigerian leaders to be serious about combating oil theft, noting it can be stopped with technology.
“There is so much technology available now to track such theft and there must be no more excuses for inaction,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
The event had in attendance President Bola Tinubu represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President of Ghana John Mahama and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
Also present were the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.
